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The differences between game designers and game artists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a game designer, becoming a game artist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a game designer has an average salary of $87,645, which is higher than the $86,932 average annual salary of a game artist.
The top three skills for a game designer include unity, UI and game development. The most important skills for a game artist are animation, maya, and sketch.
| Game Designer | Game Artist | |
| Yearly salary | $87,645 | $86,932 |
| Hourly rate | $42.14 | $41.79 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 45,227 | 5,040 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 44 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
A video game designer is responsible for making a concept of a video game and creating the storylines, scenarios, maps, character development, user interfaces, and in-game objectives. Typical responsibilities include adding computer scripting using computer software, which will then generate events, objects, commands, and characters that end-users can choose from to interact with during the game. Additionally, you will write code using different computer programming languages and designing characters, animation, and levels. To become a successful video game designer, you must be creative, innovative, and ambitious.
This individual is tasked with just one thing, and that is to create 2D or 3D art for visual elements in video games. Their task is crucial in the process of creating games. They visualize how a game will look and ensure it comes out exactly that way. They design a few preliminary sketches and develop them according to the general style of the video game. They are required to work on components like characters, textures, vehicles, colors, lighting, objects, and environment.
Game designers and game artists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Game Designer | Game Artist | |
| Average salary | $87,645 | $86,932 |
| Salary range | Between $60,000 And $127,000 | Between $56,000 And $133,000 |
| Highest paying City | Reno, NV | Las Vegas, NV |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Meta | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a game designer and a game artist in terms of educational background:
| Game Designer | Game Artist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between game designers' and game artists' demographics:
| Game Designer | Game Artist | |
| Average age | 44 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8% | Male, 70.0% Female, 30.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |